Pak-US relations

Abdur Raziq for Peace lovers January 25, 2010

President Ronald Reagan had confronted Soviet Army in Afghanistan through CIA and Pakistan’s prime intelligence agency ISI after extending 4.2 billion dollars in aid to Pakistan, eventually Soviet Army was driven out from Afghanistan. In the wake of nine eleven attacks President Bush had used Armed forces to eradicate a secret organization Alqaeeda from Afghanistan which was found guilty of nine eleven attacks on US Soil. US and its NATO allies came under UN mandate in Afghanistan to achieve specific and well defined objectives which are limited to the borders of Afghanistan. When US Defense Secretary Mr. Robert Gates states that US will never capture any part of Pakistan and has a great respect for Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity besides it has no aggressive designs towards Pakistan’s nuclear installations, and terms US lack of interest in Afghanistan soon after pullout of Soviet forces from Afghanistan as shortsightedness of US leadership of that time, he sounds quite rational but he shall not ignore the fact that democrats are basically always more concerned about the well being of people of USA and US economy had witnessed unprecedented boom during eight years of President Bill Clinton. Besides USA had never intervened militarily in Afghanistan before his era, President Reagan had tackled Soviet invasion of Afghanistan through CIA and ISI. Both these organizations had aided Afghan freedom fighters to liberate Afghanistan from Soviet subjugation.

On Thursday last week I was in Islamabad when Mr. Robert Gates had arrived their, in the evening I had paid a courtesy call to retired librarian of American Center in Islamabad, and in his drawing room a retired director of radio Pakistan had also made his presence felt, both the elderly figures were quite concerned about present state of affairs in Pakistan and Afghanistan, questions regarding US possible intervention were raised before me, increased number of drone attacks in tribal areas of Pakistan, presence of militant organizations within border areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan and their cross border activity are the main concerns of informed public circles in Pakistan these days, invalidation of NRO by Supreme Court of Pakistan is one another concern of public circles though Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gailani and President Asif Ali Zardari have assured public that Supreme Court decision regarding NRO will be implemented in its letter and spirit.

‘On Sunday in Humzooni area of Detta Khel North Waziristan a US suspected drone was hit and destroyed by tribesmen,’ media reports, the incident reflects enhance capability of Taliban militants present in that area. Soviet Army was also unable to confront Afghan freedom fighters when with the help of US Stinger missiles they have started hitting Soviet planes and gunship helicopters. At the time of Soviet occupation people of Afghanistan and tribal areas of Pakistan were not capable of extending potent resistance, CIA and ISI have trained and equipped those people with sophisticated weapons to confront Soviets.

Soviets designs to impose communism on Afghanistan were frustrated by Afghan freedom fighters, wit the help of ISI and CIA but aggressive, undemocratic and dictatorial designs of militants organizations present in Pakistan and Afghanistan are again challenging civil society, parliamentary elections in Afghanistan has been postponed, no date for local bodies elections has been fixed yet in Pakistan, though the tenure of present office bearers has been ended. Militant organizations are wiped out from Swat, and Bunair but are still quite active in other tribal areas of Pakistan and do resist elections.

Pentagon strategy for Afghanistan during Ronald Reagan era was a success, US Army or its NATO allies were not trapped into Afghanistan in the wake of Soviet provocation. War was fought by the people of Afghanistan against Soviet invaders. In response to nine eleven provocation USA and its NATO allies have been trapped in Afghanistan after sending troops their, though US President Obama has revised the strategy and have decided to pull out from Afghanistan within next few years, and efforts to train and equip Afghan police and Armed forces to contain Taliban militants in absence of foreign troops are underway, yet the public circles in Pakistan fear Talibanization of Afghanistan soon after departure of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan.

Submitted by

Abdur Raziq

M.phil US Study (IR-History)

Cell phone # 00923339607378

E mail: arraziq1@gmail.com

Note: This article of mine was published earlier at http://raziq1.blogspot.com

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